| The Tower of London. This is actually an old castle-type place where royalty used to live and kill people. Sort of a part home, part death row. The original fortress was built by William the Conqueror on the site of a Roman fort built by Claudius a millennium earlier. (Well actually, I think Bill the Conqueror and Emperor Claude probably had other people build it for them.) Other buildings were built in later years by later monarchs. There used to be a moat around the structure. When it was drained in 1830, many human bones were found. When you are busy executing all of your enemies, you don't have time to properly dispose of the remains. |  |
| This is the Yeoman Warder, or beefeater,who showed us around the joint. |  |
| There have always been ravens at
the Tower of London, and some are usually seen strutting about Tower Green. They are
unfriendly and it is unwise to touch or feed them. Their wings are clipped so that they
cannot fly away. A curious superstition dating from the time of Charles II prophesizes
that when there are no longer ravens in the Tower both the White Tower and the British
Commonwealth will fall. (Again, I didn't write this either. I would have said
"Look at the birdies!") These ravens are hanging out at the remains of one of the walls of the Roman city of Londinium. |
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| Here is Sir Walter Raleigh's room in the Bloody Tower. (That's not the kind of place you want to be kept.) He was held prisoner in this room, where he wrote the "History of the World". Well he only got as far as 130 BCE. He was arrested and imprisoned three times. The third time was a charm. He lost his head in 1618. (This is kind of sick, but his wife carried his embalmed head with her everywhere for the remaining 29 years of her life.) |  |
| The Tower Bridge. It's famous. It's not the London Bridge. That's in Arizona. (Besides, I hear it's falling down, my fair lady.) |  |
| This is the British Museum. You want to talk old stuff? These folks will give you old stuff. You looking for an 8000 year old Egyptian mummy? Babylonian artifacts? How about the freaking Rosetta Stone? These guys have everything! |  |
| St. Paul's Cathedral, designed by
the great architect Sir Christopher Wren. The first St. Paul's was built on this site
in 605 C.E. It was destroyed by the Vikings (those fucking bastards) in 962 and the
rebuilt Old St. Paul's was completed in 1310. That one burned down in the Great Fire
of 1666. This building was begin in 1675 and finished in 1710. Everyone figured
the Nazis (those other fucking bastards) would bomb it to the ground in the Battle of
Britain, but while buildings around it were destroyed, St. Paul's escaped major damage and
remained standing. (Screw you, Hitler!) The only personal connection I have with this one is "Mary Poppins". You know, when they come across the old woman feeding the birds, she's near St. Paul's (I think). And you can see the dome when there is a panoramic aerial view of the city (either at the beginning or end of the movie). I guess I haven't seen the movie in a long time. |
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| Here is Nelson's Column in Trafalgar Square. This square, London's most famous, was laid out in 1829 to 1841 to commemorate Lord Nelson's victory at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. That's Nelson on top of the column. Well, not the actual Lord Nelson. I'm pretty sure he's buried somewhere. |  |
| The upper deck of a famous London double-decker bus. Of course, after I took this shot, the locals in the front of the bus all turned around to see who the schmuck was who took a picture of the backs of their heads. |  |